The fifth installment in Bethesda's Elder Scrolls franchise is set in the eponymous province of Skyrim, where the ancient threat of dragons, led by the sinister Alduin, is rising again to threaten all mortal races. Only the player, as the prophesied hero the Dovahkiin, can save the world from destruction.
Also, on a pure technical level, Skyrim is very flawed with it's numerous bugs. I think it's unfair to give a GOTY title to it simply because the world is large and there's a lot of content when there are much more well polished and produced games even if they are shorter.
If you're saying skyrim will win because it is big than you have either not played skyrim so your comment is moot or you don't like video games. Sorry.
You guys would take the crippling framerate bug on the PS3 over any other game this year? You know, the one where you reach a certain point and the game can never produce a scene above 20 frames per second ever again? Yeah, right up there with games like Batman and Uncharted...
There's a bug in Batman that can erase your save. I guess we're down to Uncharted, winner by default?
Wait, implying that Skyrim - game of the year? lolno
You're right, it's game of the year all years.
Morrowind was my favourite RPG and Skyrim is better than Morrowind. Feels great man.
Glorious unemployment
Bethesda is yet to release a game that is fun to play. At this point I'm certain that will never ever happen. You spent 100 hours on something so unenjoyable. How did you do it, mayng?
Appears that almost every major video game journalism source and at least 3.5 million gamers disagree with your statement.
You guys would take the crippling framerate bug on the PS3 over any other game this year? You know, the one where you reach a certain point and the game can never produce a scene above 20 frames per second ever again? Yeah, right up there with games like Batman and Uncharted...
There's a bug in Batman that can erase your save. I guess we're down to Uncharted, winner by default?
There were numerous AI bugs in Uncharted, and at one point the game locked up my system. Skylanders wins GOTY.
I think skyrim and portal 2 are the most likely contenders to win GOTY .mainly because their the games the guys didn't seem a little disappointed by this year .
For me it's got to be either Portal 2 or Skyrim. I think that Portal is a more rounded product, but Skyrim is better. In completely different and incomparable ways. Portal is the best sit down and play, linear, 4 hour experience I think I've ever had but Skyrim has the best open world I've ever experienced.
The bugs in Skyrim don't stop it from being one of the best games I've ever played, it's on a different level.
You guys would take the crippling framerate bug on the PS3 over any other game this year? You know, the one where you reach a certain point and the game can never produce a scene above 20 frames per second ever again? Yeah, right up there with games like Batman and Uncharted...
There's a bug in Batman that can erase your save. I guess we're down to Uncharted, winner by default?
There were numerous AI bugs in Uncharted, and at one point the game locked up my system. Skylanders wins GOTY.
One time I fell through a truck in Uncharted 3. Drake was stuck inside the cab, could not move and got shot to death. One time I also got on a pole then Sully moved towards it, Drake clipped through the ground and kind of shook up and down for a while. Also It's worth mentioning the shooting doesn't feel that great and Drake has OCD for touching walls. If we were to judge a game based on rarity of bugs Nintendo games would always win.
I don't know to soon to tell but It's between Skyrim and Deus EX for me. Portal 2 is an amazing well wrote game but is still a bit of a 8 hour ride that gives you no reasons to come back, feels like an adventure game.
@plaintomato said:
Dark Souls. Easy. Not ripping on Skyrim...just saying.
Noup, that game is flawed. Only thing going on is because it's super hardcore.
I'm personally rooting for Portal 2. I do like Skyrim a lot but fuck me is the writing in Portal amazing and the voice performances the best I've ever heard. In a nutshell it encompasses everything I want more of from video games.
im going to say yes its biggest competitors are portal 2 , batman arkham city and gears of war 3 all of them disappointing sequels portal 2 was funny and the puzzles are good but all the parts out side of the chambers were infuriating and i felt like i cheesed every part of it.
Totally a valid opinion to say it is GOTY but dude Portal 2 does not beat Skyrim in every way. Saying so is just plain wrong.
On topic: I agree Skyrim is probably going to be my GOTY, I need to play more to see but wow is it bloody amazing. Batman gives it a run for its money though. Saying that I have yet to play uncharted (cannot believe I haven't bought this yet but there are just too many games) or zelda (same). Otherwise I loved Portal 2, LA noire (F the haters it was an excellent high budget take on point and click adventure games!), Dead Space 2 (perfect sequel!) and Deus ex (some of the best stealth ever).
Oh go on I shall make a list!
1.skyrim
2.Batman
3.LA noir
4.Portal 2
5.Dead Space 2
6.Deus Ex
(100% sure Zelda and unchated will sneak in somewhere,maybe Mario 3ds ?)
I think I have a hard time rooting for Portal because once the 14 ish hours of gameplay are over there is little fun to be had in the actual gameplay when you restart it.
100 hours of skyrim just beats it hands down for me, but then I respect the quality over quantity argument I just don't agree with it.
Skyward Sword is the very definition of a Triple A title and it is not yet out in the US. I have a feeling I will enjoy it more than Skyrim, but I also have a feeling that doesn't matter in the HD graphics obsessed world we live in, so.
Totally a valid opinion to say it is GOTY but dude Portal 2 does not beat Skyrim in every way. Saying so is just plain wrong.
On topic: I agree Skyrim is probably going to be my GOTY, I need to play more to see but wow is it bloody amazing. Batman gives it a run for its money though. Saying that I have yet to play uncharted (cannot believe I haven't bought this yet but there are just too many games) or zelda (same). Otherwise I loved Portal 2, LA noire (F the haters it was an excellent high budget take on point and click adventure games!), Dead Space 2 (perfect sequel!) and Deus ex (some of the best stealth ever).
Oh go on I shall make a list!
1.skyrim
2.Batman
3.LA noir
4.Portal 2
5.Dead Space 2
6.Deus Ex
(100% sure Zelda and unchated will sneak in somewhere,maybe Mario 3ds ?)
I know, I was just exaggerating, there is no such thing as a game that does everything better than every other game. Regardless, I think Portal 2 was both quantitatively and qualitatively a better game than Skyrim.
I don't know about you but Saints Row The Third is pretty good.
I'm not one to give into a general consensus, anyway. I still hold Shadows of the Damned and Ghost Trick in a high regard even after this year's so-called barrage of "Triple A" titles.
I would say yes for me, as it's the only game I've played this year that successfully immerses me into a world by its beautiful landscapes, its many inhabitants and the well-composed musical score that knows when to kick in at the best of times. Skyrim also successfully proves again that these kinds of games can still be quite profitable in an age where some developers think it cannot be done or where some think that there needs to be a multiplayer hook to make them more appealing.
Since I'm a technical geek and people really want to compare Portal 2 to Skyrim because of GOTY, Portal 2 is about over 10 gigs of a few hours of unique content and varying hours (but not that long) of Co-op content. Skyrim only takes up 5.5 gigs yet features tons of weapons, armour, trinkets, people, landscapes, enemies, dialogue and events, with definitely hundreds of hours of unique experiences. Bethesda also successfully generates assets and people procedurally which is a contributing factor to the smaller size yet still keeps the experience from feeling repetitive (sharp eyes can easily figure out the spots where they re-use certain things of course but that's to be expected in these kinds of large games). Portal 2 has none of this and can't even stream in their significantly smaller levels, whereas Skyrim streams their entire world no problem with only loading times whenever you go into houses and dungeons. No contest as far as I'm concerned but for most it is more about the personal experience they have had with both games that will be the deciding factor like it has every other year.
Regardless of all of this, I much rather want to know the top 10 lists than GOTY when it comes to this site as it allows for them to be more free to choose what they personally felt was their game of the year. No one can complain at all about these lists as they are completely personal and it is enjoyable to see what kinds of games these guys prefer. It also means they are a lot more free to express how they feel about the game without having to make concessions to anyone about it. Can't wait for this year's top 10 lists.
I don't know to soon to tell but It's between Skyrim and Deus EX for me. Portal 2 is an amazing well wrote game but is still a bit of a 8 hour ride that gives you no reasons to come back, feels like an adventure game.
@plaintomato said:
Dark Souls. Easy. Not ripping on Skyrim...just saying.
Noup, that game is flawed. Only thing going on is because it's super hardcore.
lol...flawed? and Skyrim isn't? Love or hate one or the other I don't think there's much question which one is more flawed. And super hardcore...I guess it has marketed that rep, but it's one of only a handful of games I 100%'d (or in this case, platinum'd...actually the only game I've ever platinum'd) since I 100%'d Oblivion. If I plantium'd it in just over a month, it had to be incredibly compelling...and it was. That makes GOTY material.
I'd say Portal 2 was equally compelling, but short by comparison...the only real runner up in my mind.
As far as Deus Ex...I beat it and, great game, but I never looked back (Skyrim over Deus Ex for sure), whereas Dark Souls falls into the very rare category of I-probably-can't-bring-myself-to-trade-it-in (same with Portal 2). I suspect the only people who weren't impressed by Dark Souls either didn't play it or didn't make it very far.
Tell me you beat it, or even made it to the Kiln, and didn't love it, and then I'll consider your negatory opinion valid.
Skyrim also successfully proves again that these kinds of games can still be quite profitable in an age where some developers think it cannot be done or where some think that there needs to be a multiplayer hook to make them more appealing.
This. This is part of the reason why Skyrim is GOTY.
We all know Skyrim has incredible flaws but at the heart of it lies an experience that blinds almost everyone that tries it. There is no multiplayer, no cinematics, no visual fanfare, no interesting combat, no guns, no interesting puzzles, no good pet system, recycled voice acting, bugs, and the list goes on and on. And yet the majority of us is smitten. Skyrim proves that there is more to a great video game than the above so-called "staples" that today's developers have been developing games around. Think Gears 3, Uncharted 3, and MW3.
Can anyone name any other game that can get away with the above and still be considered by many to be a brilliant game? The only other game that even comes close to delivering a technically flawed and lacking, yet amazing experience is Dark Souls.
I mean seriously, think about all that for a minute.
It beat out Arkham City and Battlefield 3, which were my two front runners. I can't stop playing it or even thinking about playing it and I haven't had that happen with a game in a long long time. Granted I haven't played Zelda or AC: Revelations yet but I doubt they will top this experience. Also, this is just a really great year for videogames in general.
I say yes. If you disagree I will only accept Portal 2 or Deus Ex as an alternative answer. If you think another game is game of the year, you are obvisously a bad person and you probably eat your own feces.
This game is pretty awesome but I would not call it GOTY. There are far too many problems just now popping up that people are running in to. PS3 players with terrible frame rates after about 20ish hours, 360 texture bug, many problems with the thieves guild quests, Terrible UI for KB+M and numerous other bugs that have been found. It is a big step up from Fallout 3 for sure but I wouldn't even consider it in the top 3 for GOTY. I'm sure websites will give it GOTY honors and say "it's a big game, that is to be expected" which I absolutely do not agree with. Bethesda needs to be held accountable for game crippling bugs like the PS3 frame rate issue. If people continue to let them slide with the idea being that the game is so big it is to be expected, they will never be forced to address these issues BEFORE they release a game.
From the games I've played this year, Gears of War 3, L.A Noire, and Bastion are up there. Might get a chance to play more Skyrim (only played an hour or so) but probably not enough to qualify a spot.
Saints Row The Third is also just entering the mix (5 hours in); but looks like it has the potential to take my top spot:
A male with pure crisp white skin, florescent orange hair and moustache, wearing a sickly green pirate shirt, purple slacks and sickly green high heels, heads out of his over-sized crib. He breaks into a sprint before drop kicking a unsuspecting policeman. As backup arrived he fearlessly despatches cop after cop with a combination of guns, brain-controlling octopuses and wrestling moves; however sensing the situation is getting a little too out of control he dashes towards an empty cop car, leaping through the windscreen into the drivers seat. Roaring the engine with the handbrake down causes the wheels to screech and give off smoke as they ache to get into action, pulling off the brake the car lurches forward knocking down two riot shield-wielding law enforcers before ramming pass an armoured SWAT van. As he speeds away, he spots a police chopper and several police cars already on his tail.... 'its time to put on some music' he thinks to himself. Switching on the radio he is greeted by the luscious tones of "It's My Life" by Talk Talk.
A great soundtrack to accompany him as he drifts round corners at breakneck speeds, but unfortunately before too long the song comes to an end. Wanting to change the pace slightly he switches radio station. Ah, the Ride Of The Valkyries; the pacing of which fits beautifully with the mayhem occurring as pedestrians bounce off his car, while he sprays SMG fire out the window. Again, the song ends all too soon. This is when it happens, this is when it all comes together for the greatest moment of the year...
Need I say more? I would happily go on, but this is turning into a blog or something so I'll leave it there for now.
Threads that are created with this little text in the opening post are usually locked, but it seems that in spite of the original post some genuine discussion has been generated here, so I'll leave this one open.
I think it's a fun game and good in a lot of respects although not in the last analysis a great game. Don't get me wrong, it hurts me to say this, I enjoyed the shit out of Skyrim. However, for the following reasons it isn't GOTY material:
-Combat is bad. Simplistic, poor AI, HP+damage bloat as "balance", etc. It's either totally mindless or you get one-shotted by unison FUS ROH DAHs.
-Watered-down character builds. It works well enough but there a lot of dud perks and pointless skills to invest in. Most characters will be jack of all trades and the only reason to hyper-specialise is to LARP a character. No attributes either, so the differentiation between characters is not much. Also, smithing + enchanting = broken.
-Terrible UI and major audiovisual issues on PC. The shadows and anti-aliasing are poor, and the sound is way too soft. From what I can tell the console versions also have some serious technical issues.
-Infinite copy-pasta quests where you never do anything but fight and use levers in mostly linear dungeons with inane puzzles. Or fetch. Even the Daedric quests and the guild questlines fall into this trap too often, despite being the best the game has to offer. Have poor thieving and mage skills? No problem, just kill everything 99.9% of the time!
-Bethesda's writing is absolutely terrible, as per usual. Also, there's a lack of significant choices to make and the world isn't very reactive. I don't notice any real changes in response after becoming a guild master in all 4 guilds, routing the imperials, and being a level 50 badass: it's all window dressing and flavour text from guardsmen. Or the guards getting reskinned. Even a basic "fame" meter like in Red Dead Redemption would help: something like having to gain reputation before you can do certain quests or different events happening because of reputation with the different guilds or towns.
Again, I like the game, Bethesda's settings and ability to realise power fantasies are peerless and I'll take non-linear exploration with bad or non-existent writing over interactive cinema any day, but the core action and RPG mechanics have a long way to go.
Easily game of year, it's just such a huge jump from Fallout 3/Oblivion, I'd compare it to Mass Effect 2 from 1 or Drakes Fortune 2, more importantly it's my favourite game ever and I've played 30 hours and havent even been to the north yet.
@Jack268: Wait a minute.... Morrowind, Fallout 3, and Oblivion all won GOTY from many site when they came out. Skyrim is FAR better then those games, has way more quest (an all the quest are actually worth doing), and is not even in the same ballpark as those games when it comes to bugs. So I think that Skyrim is a very, very strong contender for GOTY.
@matthias2437: Oh I'm not saying it isn't, not at all, but in my opinion it is tasteless to reward a company for making a game that is nigh unplayable on one console.
Witcher 2 for me I think, though I haven't played AC: Revelations yet. Skyrim is a great game but the version I'm playing (PC) is just too half-assed to be my personal GOTY. I'd be happy to see it win GB / Users GOTY though.
Haven't had asingle problem with my PC version of Skyrim, but I do agree that Witcher 2 should definitely be a heavy duty contender for GOTY, unfortunately CD Projekt RED didn't get it on consoles in time and the fact that the majority audience of gamers is the console crowd means that it likely won't get a look in. Which is terrible considering how polished and excellent that game is. I don't normally do text-faces but in this case :-(
I'd like to see it go to Dead Space 2 as there was a bit of presumption that it wouldn't turn out that great, especially since they chucked in a multiplayer component in an age where if your game doesn't have multiplayer (even if it doesn't really fit) then you have nothing. The game however came out great and so I think it deserves it for that reason. However, it probably won't win.
This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:
Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along
with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely
increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.
Comment and Save
Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other
Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll
send you an email once approved.
Log in to comment